Radical Judiciary Undermining Trump, Fencing Fairness & Mexico's Water Theft Week In Review

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson: Episode Summary

Release Date: April 12, 2025

Hosts and Guests:

• Ben Ferguson - Host of The 47 Morning Update
• Senator Ted Cruz - U.S. Senator and guest
• Senator Amy Klobuchar - U.S. Senator and guest

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1. Radical Judiciary Undermining the Trump Administration (00:01 - 14:10)

In the opening segment, Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz delve into the escalating issue of judicial activism targeting former President Donald Trump’s administration. Ted Cruz emphasizes the unprecedented number of nationwide injunctions issued against Trump, stating, "More nationwide injunctions issued against President Trump in the first two months of his administration than in the entirety of the George W. Bush administration, all eight years." (02:12)

Key Points:

• Abuse of Power: Ben Ferguson argues that the surge in injunctions represents a significant abuse of judicial power. "We have seen against Donald Trump in the first two months... more nationwide injunctions issued against President Trump than in the entirety of the George W. Bush administration, all eight years." (02:12)
• Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Statement: Bondi asserts Trump’s commitment to complying with the law despite facing over 170 lawsuits. "President Trump is going to comply with the law... we've had over 170 lawsuits filed against us." (02:24)
• Impact on Democracy: Cruz shares insights from a judge who described the court’s actions as a coup against Trump, effectively neutering his administration’s agenda. "They are doing a coup against Donald Trump by neutering him with his agenda." (03:35)
• Judiciary Committee Hearing: Ben Ferguson recounts a Judiciary Committee hearing highlighting the threat to democracy posed by these injunctions. A Senator from Rhode Island criticizes the partisan misuse of the rule of law, stating, "Under our Constitution, who should decide elections? The voters or unelected judges?" (05:34)

Notable Exchange:

• Senator Klobuchar vs. Senator Cruz (12:00 - 14:10): A heated exchange occurs when Senator Klobuchar questions the targeting of “red districts,” leading to interruptions and debates about the legitimacy of the injunctions. Ben Ferguson criticizes Klobuchar’s inability to provide substantive answers, asserting, "This is about power and abuse of power. This is not about the rule of law." (13:52)

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2. Investigation into USA Fencing’s Trans Athlete Policy (14:10 - 21:51)

The conversation shifts to USA Fencing and its controversial policy regarding transgender athletes. Senator Klobuchar details her investigation into the organization’s practices, highlighting the disqualification of Stephanie Turner, a female fencer who refused to compete against a transgender opponent.

Key Points:

• Stephanie Turner Incident: Turner was disqualified for refusing to fence a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman. "She was given a black card and disqualified from the entire tournament because she stood up for what she believed in." (14:14)
• Senate Committee's Jurisdiction: Klobuchar explains that the Commerce Committee oversees sports organizations like USA Fencing, giving them authority to enforce policies protecting women. "Congress has the ability to cease the designation of USA Fencing as the organization that chooses U.S. Olympic athletes." (16:00)
• Call for Policy Change: Klobuchar emphasizes the need for USA Fencing to revise its policies to prevent discrimination and ensure fair competition for female athletes. "I want to get them to change their policy. I want to get them to protect women." (17:00)
• Legislative Actions: The discussion covers potential remedies, including legislation to remove judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions and the challenging process of impeachment. "There’s legislation... that would remove the power of a district judge to issue nationwide injunctions." (10:10)

Notable Quote:

• Senator Klobuchar on Fair Competition: "Men tend to be taller, have greater muscle mass and more testosterone, all advantages for fencing movements like lunges, jumping or leg power measures." (17:10)

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3. Mexico’s Theft of Water and Impact on Texas Farmers (21:51 - 31:35)

The final major topic addresses Mexico’s violation of the 1944 Water Treaty, resulting in significant water shortages for Texas farmers. Senator Klobuchar outlines the detrimental effects on South Texas agriculture and her efforts to secure relief and enforce the treaty.

Key Points:

• Violation of the 1944 Water Treaty: Mexico has diverted 1.3 million acre-feet of water, failing to provide the agreed-upon 350,000 acre-feet annually to South Texas. "Mexico has been openly and brazenly violating the treaty... diverting that water that should go to South Texas." (22:30)
• Agricultural Impact: The water shortage has led to the closure of farms and the sole sugar mill in Texas shutting down. "There is a massive drought... one sugar mill in all of Texas last year shut down because of water." (23:50)
• Legislative and Executive Efforts: Klobuchar discusses her bipartisan efforts to secure emergency relief funding and pressure the Biden administration to act. "I authored legislation that provided $280 million in emergency relief for Texas farmers." (25:35)
• Presidential Intervention: Trump’s intervention via a Truth Social post threatens tariffs and sanctions against Mexico, leading to immediate negotiations. "Here's what President Trump sent this evening... 'We will keep escalating consequences, including tariffs and maybe even sanctions.'" (30:57)

Notable Exchange:

• Senator Klobuchar on Bipartisan Support: "The Rio Grande Valley flipped red... I have spent an enormous amount of time and millions of dollars in the Valley trying to turn the Valley red." (27:32)
• Trump’s Action: "Mexico owes Texas 1.3 million acre feet of water under the 1944 Water Treaty. But Mexico is unfortunately violating their treaty obligation... I will make sure that Mexico doesn't violate our treaties and doesn't hurt our Texas farmers." (29:12)

Conclusion of Segment:

• Victory for Texas Farmers: The President’s decisive action has prompted Mexico to negotiate, offering a hopeful resolution for the affected Texas farmers. "The Mexican government is freaking out... we’re going to get the water and that’s a great victory for America." (31:35)

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4. Final Remarks and Call to Action (31:35 - End)

Ben Ferguson wraps up the episode by encouraging listeners to stay informed and engaged. He emphasizes the importance of supporting legislative actions to protect American interests and uphold the rule of law.

Closing Quote:

• Ben Ferguson on Leadership: "This ends now. I will make sure that Mexico doesn't violate our treaties and doesn't hurt our Texas farmers." (30:57)

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Summary: In this episode of The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson, the discussion centers around three pivotal issues: the surge in judicial activism against the Trump administration, the contentious policies of USA Fencing regarding transgender athletes, and Mexico’s blatant violation of the 1944 Water Treaty impacting Texas farmers. Through robust debates and insightful commentary, Ferguson and Senator Cruz highlight perceived abuses of power and advocate for legislative reforms. Simultaneously, Senator Klobuchar sheds light on the struggles of female athletes and the dire water shortages threatening South Texas agriculture, culminating in presidential intervention to rectify international treaty breaches. The episode underscores the themes of accountability, protection of constitutional rights, and the resilience of American institutions in the face of external and internal challenges.

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Notable Quotes:

• "Is it an abuse of power? Is there a check and balance that we need to have on that?" – Ted Cruz (02:20)
• "This is about power and abuse of power. This is not about the rule of law." – Ben Ferguson (13:52)
• "Women should not be forced to compete against men in sports. That's not right." – Senator Amy Klobuchar (16:00)
• "The Mexican government is freaking out. That's what it looks like to be a leader president who is fighting for America." – Senator Klobuchar (31:35)

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Conclusion: This episode provides a comprehensive examination of significant political and social issues, blending legislative insights with real-world implications. Ben Ferguson effectively guides listeners through complex topics, fostering a deeper understanding of the current political landscape and the ongoing efforts to safeguard American values and interests.

Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, the Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And these are the big stories that we talked about this week that you may have missed. First up, judicial activism having a major impact at trying to stop Donald Trump and his administration. Well, there was a very big victory for the Trump administration and it's going to have precedence nationwide. We'll break that story down for you in just a moment. Up next, an investigation has been opened into US Fencing after they disqualified a woman who refused to fight against a trans fencer, AKA a dude acting like a chick. They gave her the black card, disqualifying her from the entire competition because she stood up for what she believed in. And now there's an investigation into not following the law when it comes to US Fencing. And finally, in a shocking move, Mexico has been stealing water from American farmers on the border. It is now costing them their livelihoods. And President Trump is fighting back. It's the Week in Review and it starts right now. Another threat, and it's not been covered in the news the way that it should have because we've been dealing with this. Obviously, we led with this issue because it's very important. But it's judicial activism that's having a major impact on this administration and in a shocking way, I would even say historic way, when you look at the numbers. You're dealing with this now in the Senate with these judges that are basically going to be activists, but their injunctions are having a hold nationwide. A lot of people didn't even know that was a possibility. Is it an abuse of power? Is there a check and balance that we need to have on that? Let's dive into that as well.

[Ben Ferguson]

So it's an absolute abuse of power. It is worse than it has ever been. We have seen against Donald Trump in the first two months, months of administration, more nationwide injunctions issued against President Trump than in the entirety of the George W. Bush administration, all eight years. The entirety of the Barack Obama administration. All eight years. The entirety of the Joe Biden administration, all four years. More in two months than in those 20 years we have seen.

[Ted Cruz]

Two months and 20 years. You say it, you said it quickly. I want people to just pause and think about how much of abuse of power there has to be if they're doing it that much like this is deliberate.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and listen to Attorney General Pam Bondi talk about this.

[Pam Bondi]

The president is going to comply with the law. He was overwhelmingly elected by an overwhelming majority of the United States citizens to be our commander in chief. And that's what he's been doing, Shannon, just since January 20th, we've had over 170 lawsuits filed against us. That should be the constitutional crisis right there. 50 injunctions. They're popping up every single day. Trying to control his executive power, trying to control where he believes our tax dollars should be allocated. And saying he won by an overwhelming majority is so important because that's what the American people want, what President Trump campaigned on and what he won on. And he's implementing that agenda at a rapid speed. None of us can keep up with them every single day. And so it's just, we're going after all of these lawsuits, we're defending them all. We just got a great win, and we'll continue to fight.

[Ted Cruz]

I talked to a judge this week, and he described it this way because I was wanting to understand this subject. Obviously, we were going to talk about. It's important, and we haven't dealt with this a lot. He said, in essence, what the court's doing, Ben, is they are doing a coup against Donald Trump by neutering him.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep.

[Ted Cruz]

With his agenda. And he said, that is not how the Constitution was set up. Like, you should not be able to neuter a president this way. Saying, we know you won. We know the American people support you. They voted for you, but we're not gonna let you do what you're supposed to do as president anyway.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and Barack Obama and Joe Biden put left wing radicals on the courts. And then this is Democrat state attorneys general and left wing radical groups going and seeking out these radical judges, many of whom, by the way, used to work for the groups that are suing. I mean, it is fundamentally corrupt, and it is one judge. Normally, a judge has the authority over the parties before him or her, right. But these judges are issuing nationwide orders, trying to stop everything President Trump is trying to do. We had a hearing of the Judiciary Committee last week on this that was focusing on the threat to democracy and the rule of law from these nationwide injunctions. Here's what I had to say at the hearing.

[Senator]

It's long been said that hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue. I have to admit, I'm enjoying listening to my Democrat colleagues suddenly discover the virtues of the rule of law after four years where they brazenly supported the most lawless Department of Justice and the most politically weaponized Department of Justice our.

[Ben Ferguson]

Nation has ever seen.

[Senator]

We just heard the senator from Rhode island talk about the imperative of protecting judges, and yet not a single Democrat senator cared about the violent protesters that showed up outside Supreme Court justices homes.

[Senator Klobuchar]

Including, I might note, female justices like.

[Senator]

Justice Amy Coney Barrett threatening their family. And Joe Biden's attorney general didn't do a damn thing and refused to enforce the law to protect those judges. Why? Because he agreed with the violent protesters and he wanted to intimidate and threaten those judges. Professor Bray, under our Constitution, who should decide elections? The voters or unelected judges?

[Professor Bray]

The voters are the ones who should vote in the election according to the. The laws. And the laws sometimes have to be applied by the judges if they're.

[Senator]

And under our Constitution, who is charged with making policy decisions? Elected representatives elected by the people or unelected federal judges?

[Professor Bray]

I think the question of policy, Senator, is a little broader than the particular case. So the basic laws should be enacted by Congress. That's where the fountain of law, policy.

[Senator]

Decisions are the elected branch. Right. Law is the province of the court. Policy is the province of the elected branches. These are not complicated. Professor Bray, let me ask you this. Do the federal courts have power to issue remedies for people who are not parties to a case?

[Professor Bray]

That's a question I agree. Is not complicated. They do not have that power.

[Senator]

Is the phrase nationwide injunction or universal injunction found anywhere in the Constitution?

[Professor Bray]

It is not.

[Ben Ferguson]

First chart.

[Senator]

In the first 150 years of our republic, how many nationwide injunctions were issued?

[Professor Bray]

My view is that there were not any until 1963.

[Senator]

Zero. Now fast forward. How many nationwide injunctions were issued in the entire 20th century?

[Professor Bray]

It's a small number. I would. I would think it would be a dozen, give or take. It's not large.

[Senator]

27. Actually, excluding Trump's first term, how many nationwide injunctions were issued in the last 20 years?

[Professor Bray]

Far more than that.

[Senator]

32 from 2001 to 20. 24 against Biden, Obama and Bush. 32. And how many nationwide injunctions have been issued in the last two months alone?

[Professor Bray]

There have been quite a few.

[Senator]

37. Let that sink in. There have been more nationwide injunctions in the past two months against President Trump than in the entire 20th century. There have been more nationwide injunctions against President Trump in the last two months than both terms of George W. Bush, both terms of Barack Obama and Joe Biden's term. We saw during the Biden presidency law fair, indicting President Trump four times, using the machinery of justice to attack him. And that was an attack on democracy because Democrats today hate democracy. Democrats today are angry at the voters for reelecting Donald Trump and electing a Republican Senate and a Republican House and they engage in lawfare to stop democracy from operating. Understand, this is the second phase of Lawfare. Second chart. This is the second phase of LawFare. Now that their efforts to indict President Trump and stop the voters from reelecting him have failed, they're going and seeking out individual radical judges to try to shut down policies. And they are forum shopping like crazy. Give. Give me any loon judge put on the bench by Obama or Biden who disagrees with the policy. We just saw a judge flagrantly ignore U.S. immigration law concerning TPS being revoked. U.S. law explicitly said there's no judicial review for that. But, hey, they found a judge who says, you know what? We, the Democrat Party, we are the party of illegal aliens. We are the party of murderers and rapists and gang members. And the Democrat Party exists here to fight to keep murderers and rapists and gang members in your communities. There's a reason the Democrat party is at 26% approval nationwide, because they put radical policies ahead of rule of law nationwide. Injunctions are an abuse of power. It is the judiciary acting as policy deciders. And it is incumbent on this committee and this body to rein in the abuse of power from these unelected radical judges who are trying to overturn the election because they disagree with what the voters decided.

[Ted Cruz]

So here's my question you just teased at the end, and that is, it's our job to look at reining them in. How long does that take? Can it be done through legislation? What are the options here, and how quick can we get this under control?

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, it could be done quickly. There's legislation. In fact, there's legislation we were talking about at that hearing that Chuck Grassley's introduced that I'm a co sponsor of, that would remove the power of a district judge to issue nationwide injunctions. I think that makes an awful lot of sense. Is that gonna pass?

[Senator Klobuchar]

Probably not.

[Ben Ferguson]

Because for it to pass in the Senate would take 60 votes, which would mean we would need seven Democrats to support it. Every Democrat, they're enthusiastic about this lawfare. They want to see more of it. So they are dug in. That remedy is not there. The other remedy that you and I have talked about before is impeachment.

[Senator Klobuchar]

Impeachment.

[Ben Ferguson]

You can impeach a judge in the House with a majority vote, 218 votes. It may well make sense that one or more of the most egregious district judges who are defying their oath of office should and perhaps will be impeached by the House. However, if and when that happens, it'll.

[Senator Klobuchar]

Come over to the Senate for the trial.

[Ben Ferguson]

And under the Constitution, it takes two thirds to convict. That means we need Democrats and the Democrats are not going to convict. There may be value in impeaching one or more of these judges anyway to highlight the utter brazen lawlessness of it. And doing so would mean we could have a trial on the floor of the Senate to lay out just how lawless their conduct was. But the judge is not going to be removed because the Democrats are all in. In support of illegal aliens and against the rule of law. That means the remedy are, number one, the court of public opinion, making people understand just what an abuse of power this is. And number two, the appellate process, the courts of appeals and ultimately the Supreme Court. Now, I will say immediately after I finished my questioning, Amy Klobuchar spoke next.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Senator Klobuchar]

And I think my comments rattled her.

[Ben Ferguson]

Because she tried to respond. And I gotta say, what she was saying made so little sense, I couldn't resist jumping in. And we had some real fireworks. So here, give a listen.

[Senator]

And the only reason there's all these injunctions, Senator Cruz, is because he's violating the Constitution.

[Ben Ferguson]

Why?

[Senator]

Why would Trump appointed judges.

Why don't you file them in red?

[Senator Klobuchar]

Red districts, Senator Cruz, why?

[Senator]

What did you just say?

Why don't you file them in red districts? Why are the Democrat Attorney General seeking out Senator Cruz? Left wing.

[Professor Bray]

Patient with Senator Cruz's activity in this building, Senator.

[Senator]

White House entitled to.

[Senator Moody]

I'm just going to ask for a point of order. Madam Klobuchar. Senator.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator Moody.

[Senator]

We have debates on this committee. They occur regularly.

[Senator Moody]

Let's let her have her time and then we'll get back to that. If you want to wait, we'll get back to. Senator, question or not?

[Senator]

Their choice.

[Senator Moody]

Go ahead. And I would encourage you to answer.

[Senator]

So I'm following Senator Cruz once again. Excuse me, but I will say that.

[Senator Moody]

Excuse me, I didn't hear you. What did you say?

[Senator]

To be following him. He and I have a. I was.

[Senator Moody]

Permitting you your time to continue. Oh, to be following him in order. Excuse me. Go ahead. Senator Klobuchar during hearing. Go ahead.

[Senator]

That's what I'm referring to.

[Senator Moody]

Go ahead.

[Senator]

And I will take more than my time since he's taken more than his time to yell at me.

[Ben Ferguson]

So what I will say is that I'm not yelling.

[Senator Klobuchar]

I asked a question.

[Senator Moody]

Senator Cruz, please. I'll give you time.

[Ted Cruz]

I do have to say I've seen you yell. That was not yelling.

[Ben Ferguson]

I didn't raise my voice at all. And by the way Amy Klobuchar had no answer.

[Ted Cruz]

None.

[Ben Ferguson]

She's like, well, oh, these injunctions are issuing cuz everything he's doing is illegal. It's like, great, why don't they file them in red districts? Why are you seeking out the most left wing judges in the country who used to be radical activists who were nominated because they're radical activists who used to work for the left wing groups that are now bringing the lawsuits?

[Senator Klobuchar]

Why are you only filing them in.

[Ben Ferguson]

Their, in their courts if it was so clear, if it was such a slam dunk, you ought to be able to file them in, in, in red districts. And nope, nope, they ain't going to do that. She had no answer whatsoever. Because this is about power and abuse of power. This is not about the rule of law.

[Ted Cruz]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week. Now on to story number two. Senator, there's also another important story that is one that is exciting for transparency but also frustrating at the same time. You have opened an investigation into US Fencing over their trans athlete policy. Give us the backstory on this and why you're so involved.

[Senator Klobuchar]

So USA Fencing has received widespread criticism for something that happened last week. Stephanie Turner, who's a female fencer, she refused to compete against a transgender opponent, a biological male who decided that he was a she. And, and what happened is Stephanie Turner, rather than compete against this biological male, Stephanie Turner took a knee and as a result, she was disqualified from the tournament. She was given a black card and disqualified from the tournament. It was treated as, as a, as forfeiting. And I saw this, frankly, I saw this on X, I saw this on Twitter and I thought this was outrageous because women should not be forced to compete against men in sports. That's not right. Now, as you know, I am the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The Commerce Committee has massive jurisdiction, has jurisdiction over roughly 40% of the U.S. economy. One of the things we have jurisdiction over is sports. We have jurisdiction over collegiate sports, Olympic sports, any kind of sports competition. And USA Fencing is explicitly, it is the vehicle through which the American fencing team in the Olympics is chosen. And so last week I launched an investigation and, and, and I sent, sent an oversight letter to USA Fencing asking for the documents on what their policy is. How many transgender athletes have attempted to compete, how many women they have disqualified for declining compete, how many injuries have occurred. Look, there are biological differences. Men are made differently than women, and we've Seen in many other sports, significant injuries from women being forced to compete against biological men. And at the end of the day, the Congress has a very direct remedy, which is we have the ability to cease the designation of USA Fencing as the organization that chooses U.S. olympic athletes. And so this oversight is an effort. I want to get them to change their policy. I want to get them to protect women. I think women's sports matters, girls sports matters, and I don't think any woman should be forced to compete against a man in sports. I don't think any girl should be forced to compete against a boy in sports.

[Ted Cruz]

What does it look like if they're actually held accountable for this?

[Senator Klobuchar]

What it looks like is they change their policies. That is my objective here is to change the policy so that you don't end up having women discriminated against and put in a position where they're competing unfairly, where they're put in a position where they're risking real injuries.

[Ted Cruz]

It'll be very interesting to see what that injury report looks like. Is there a timeline for them getting back to you with this request?

[Senator Klobuchar]

Sure. So here. Here's what I said in my letter. I wrote it to the chief executive officer of USA Fencing, and I said, Dear Mr. Andrews, it has come to my attention that USA Fencing is still permitting men to compete in women's fencing in violation of federal law. I'm writing to ask why. Your organization is the recognized national governing body for fencing in the United States, but to remain so, it must comply with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee rules and procedures, its statutory obligations to protect women, and President Trump's recent executive order on keeping men out of women's sports. If it does not, and instead continues to put women at risk, Congress may be forced to terminate USA Fencing's NGB certification. Last week, Stephanie Turner from the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia competed at the USA Fencing sanctioned Cherry Blossom Open Circuit at the University of Maryland. The young woman was set to face a man who now claims to be a transgender woman in a fencing bout. However, at the start of the match, Ms. Turner bravely took a knee and refused to compete against her male opponent. In response to this young woman's courage, tournament officials presented her with a black card and disqualified her from the entire tournament. USA Fencing's director of communications, Bryan Wendle, said the young woman's disqualification was, quote, the direct result of her decision to decline defense ineligible opponent, a supposed violation of the International Fencing Federation rules. He reiterated the USA Fencing remains committed to inclusivity. USA Fencing's commitment to Inclusivity is nothing less than a full throated support for males competing in women's sports in violation of federal law. As the recognized NGB for fencing, USA Fencing is required to provide support and encouragement for participation by women where separate programs for male and female athletes are conducted on a national basis as well as safe environments in sports. Failure to do so is grounds for the United States Congress to terminate USA Fencing certification as an ngb. And I go on to say that they have to comply with President Trump's executive order. And I point out that male fencers naturally possess inherent advantages over potential female competitors. Men tend to be taller, have greater muscle mass and more testosterone, all advantages for fencing movements like lunges, jumping or leg power measures. And I point out that under the rules of the Senate, the Commerce Committee has a duty and an authority to review and study on a continuing basis both sports and sports agencies such as USA Fencing. And so I ask, I ask a whole series of questions and I want documents and answers by April 21, 2025. And it's documents about their transgender policy. How many men or transgender women currently compete in the women's division? In the last four years, how many bouts have occurred between transgender women and women? How many times did the female athlete prevail? How many times did the female athlete suffer an injury? Does USA Fencing comply with the President's executive order? And I have a whole series of additional questions, but this is an example of holding to account, and you've got throughout sports these radical associations, organizations that have embraced the WOKE ideology. There's no difference between men and women. And that is profoundly unfair to women and girls competing in sports. And I'm going to do everything I can to stop it as before.

[Ted Cruz]

If you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing. I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. I want to ask you about this other, I would just say insane news because I can't believe that they've been allowed to do it for so long. And that is, that is Mexico stealing water which is suffocating farmers.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yep.

[Ted Cruz]

Specifically, it's happening in Texas and it's, it's making farming industry collapse and farmers disappearing from areas because there is no water.

[Senator Klobuchar]

So let me give you the background because this is a really important issue. It's important in Texas, but it's important to the country, which is there's a water treaty that we signed with Mexico in 1944, the Mexican Water Treaty of 1944, it obligates Mexico to provide 350,000 acre feet of water a year to South Texas. That's over a five year period.

[Ted Cruz]

Okay.

[Senator Klobuchar]

For the last five years, Mexico has been openly and brazenly violating the treaty. They've not been providing the water. They are right now, in this five year period, 1.3 million acre feet in arrears water they have not provided that they've committed by treaty to provide. Now what are they doing? They're diverting that water that should go to South Texas from farmers under the treaty to Mexican farmers. And a couple of things are happening. So in South Texas, there is a massive drought going on. It is doing enormous damage to farmers. And when I spend a lot of time in South Texas and the damage to farmers, we're seeing a lot of South Texas farmers that are taking half of their acreage out of production. They're shutting down half of their farms.

[Ted Cruz]

Just because they don't have the water to do it.

[Senator Klobuchar]

Right. They're laying off thousands of workers. So there was one sugar mill in all of Texas last year. It shut down because of water, and it shut down because the sugar farmers did not have the water to raise the sugar.

[Ted Cruz]

Wow.

[Senator Klobuchar]

And it's gone.

[Ted Cruz]

And Mexico on the other side is green as can be.

[Senator Klobuchar]

It is green as can be. The Mexican farmers are prospering. They're literally stealing our water. And by the way, like, President Trump talks a lot about foreign countries taking advantage of America.

[Ted Cruz]

This is a great example.

[Senator Klobuchar]

This is literally the Mexican government stealing our water.

[Ted Cruz]

And did Joe Biden do anything to stop this?

[Ben Ferguson]

Zero.

[Ted Cruz]

And he knew about it.

[Senator Klobuchar]

So. He knew about it. So I've engaged this issue. I engaged. I started engaging about two years ago, and I started engaging when I was down in South Texas and I did a roundtable with farmers and they raised this issue to me. And two years ago, I didn't know what the water Treaty of 1944 was. And they explained it to me. And at the time, they were really worried we're gonna lose our sugar mill if this doesn't change. And I said, look, I think I can help. I'm gonna lean in. And I began leaning in aggressively. I forced a vote on the Senate floor on an amendment to direct the State Department to use every lever point we have to force Mexico to comply with the water treaty. I got a majority of the Senate, a bipartisan majority, and then there's a water commissioner for the United States. I like leaned in with the Water commissioner said, look, the Senate has spoken a bipartisan majority, and here's the fundamental problem. Joe Biden didn't give a damn about this. So I desperately tried to get the Biden administration to exert leverage.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Senator Klobuchar]

And they just didn't care.

[Ted Cruz]

Now, by the way, leverage for Donald Trump at this point was him saying, hey, I'm coming after you with tariffs or sanctions, so do the right thing now before I have to do that. And they know he means it. Unlike even if you had that same statement from Joe Biden, he wasn't going to do anything.

[Senator Klobuchar]

So in South Texas, cities are also facing massive drought. You're literally facing the cities not having enough water for their citizens because Mexico is stealing the water. And so I leaned in. I could not get the Biden administration do a damn thing. In December, as part of the continuing resolution, I authored legislation that got adopted that provided $280 million in emergency relief for Texas farmers because they're going broke. And we're talking about generational farms, farms that have been three, four generations, who are being bankrupted because their government is not enforcing the treaty and they're being starved of water. And so several weeks ago, I went down to South Texas with Brooke Rollins. Brooke Rollins is the Secretary of Agriculture. Brooke has been a good friend of mine for 25 years. She's a Texan. She's the first Texan in the history of the country to be the Secretary of Agriculture. She's also the first Secretary of Agriculture ever to go to the Rio Grande Valley.

[Ted Cruz]

Wow.

[Senator Klobuchar]

And she came to the Valley at my request. I asked her come down with me.

[Senator]

Yeah.

[Senator Klobuchar]

And we did. We did a press conference, number one, where she announced, I've got $280 million I'm giving to South Texas farmers because your federal government has been screwing you by not getting the water back, and Mexico is starving you. But we also did a roundtable. We did a roundtable with farmers where Brooke and I talked with the farmers. And the Rio Grande Valley has been bright blue for 100 years. In 2024, the Rio Grande Valley flipped red. I won the Valley and Donald Trump won the Valley.

[Ted Cruz]

Incredible.

[Senator Klobuchar]

That has never happened. I won Hispanic statewide in Texas by six points.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's never happened.

[Senator Klobuchar]

I have spent an enormous amount of time and millions of dollars in the Valley trying to flip the Valley red because I saw the potential there. And so I think I've invested more than any elected official in Texas in terms of turning the Valley red. Well, I gotta say, sitting there at that round table, you got farmers and ranchers. And you're just asking them, look, over the last four years, did Joe Biden do a damn thing for you?

[Ted Cruz]

No. And that's how you turn this.

[Senator Klobuchar]

And what I told them, as I said, listen, if there's one thing you know about Donald Trump, he will stand up to foreign countries and fight for you. And I made that commitment. And frankly, look, these are voters who, their entire lives have voted Democrats. Their parents voted Democrat. Their grandparents voted Democrat. Their great grandparents voted Democrat. And this last election, for the first time, they pulled the lever for Republican. Going down there and saying, look, we're fighting for you. We're gonna get you the damn water is one of the ways you lock those votes. And it's a generational shift for Texas, by the way.

[Ted Cruz]

This is the first time for verdict. They've just opened the vote. They're only keeping it open for 15 minutes.

[Senator Klobuchar]

So I'm gonna go momentarily.

[Ted Cruz]

You're gonna go momentarily, which means, actually, it's about 12 minutes, because I'm a couple minutes behind. Just. This is why I love doing verdict, because this is how it really works in the insanity of the Senate.

[Senator Klobuchar]

So I will say this. I called President Trump a week ago And I said, Mr. President, would make a huge difference if you leaned in personally with the President of Mexico and said, provide us the water.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, knock it off.

[Senator Klobuchar]

And he said, I'll tell you what, I'll send a truth social post. And so I worked with him on the wording of it. And tonight when I was in the oval, I said, Mr. President, can you send that truth post? Yeah, he sent it tonight. I'm going to read it to you. Here's what President Trump sent this evening. Mexico owes Texas 1.3 million acre feet of water under the 1944 Water Treaty. But Mexico is unfortunately violating their treaty obligation. This is very unfair and it is hurting South Texas farmers very badly. Last year, the only sugar mill in Texas closed because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas farmers. Ted Cruz has been leading the fight to get South Texas the water it is owed. But Sleepy Joe refused to lift a finger to help the farmers. This ends now. I will make sure that Mexico doesn't violate our treaties and doesn't hurt our Texas farmers. Just last month, I halted water shipments to Tijuana until Mexico complies with the 1944 Water Treaty. My Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, is standing up for Texas farmers. And we will keep escalating consequences, including tariffs and maybe even sanctions, until Mexico honors the treaty and gives Texas the water they are owed and gives Texas the water they are owed is in all caps.

[Ted Cruz]

There you go.

[Senator Klobuchar]

That tweet got sent out tonight. I'll tell you in just within an hour of that tweet going out, the president of Mexico sent out a tweet saying we're going to fix this. We're going to fix this. And the Mexican government is freaking out. That's what it looks like to be a leader president who is fighting for America. Joe Biden could have done that for four years, but he didn't give a flip about farmers in South Texas going out of business. The president's tweet and I can tell you Mexico is in the process now of negotiating with the State Department to provide for the water. We're going to get the water and that's a great, that's a great victory for America.

[Ted Cruz]

Go vote. You're on the clock now. I love it. As always. Thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast. And we will see you back here on Monday morning.